{"id":9901,"date":"2019-07-12T12:40:49","date_gmt":"2019-07-12T19:40:49","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=9901"},"modified":"2020-03-20T08:22:21","modified_gmt":"2020-03-20T15:22:21","slug":"can-you-love-yourself-and-still-get-plastic-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/can-you-love-yourself-and-still-get-plastic-surgery","title":{"rendered":"Can You Love Yourself and Still Get Plastic Surgery?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beauty standards have changed remarkably throughout history, and cosmetic surgery trends tend to follow them—whether it was the nose job<\/a> craze of the ’80s and ’90s or the butt augmentation<\/a> popularity of today. However, in recent years, there has been the rise of another trend that some may consider to be the antithesis of cosmetic enhancements: body positivity and self-acceptance.<\/p>

Social media is overwhelmed with messages of self-love, with influencers, celebrities, and brands encouraging you to embrace your so-called flaws and to love “your non-size-zero body.” At the same time, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons found that Americans spent upwards of $16.5 billion <\/a>on cosmetic enhancements in 2018, with the market expected to hit $43.9 billion<\/a> by the year 2025. It begs the question, can these two seemingly contradictory notions coexist?<\/p>

Celebrities, models, and influencers are praised when they post unretouched images on social media, proudly displaying cellulite<\/a>, acne scars<\/a>, and stretch marks<\/a>, or when they encourage fans to “wear a bikini”<\/a> whenever they want. Meanwhile, on the same platforms, we are bombarded with images of celebs and influencers (sometimes the very same people) with fillers<\/a>, implants<\/a>, lip augmentation<\/a>, and other cosmetic alterations.<\/p>

Related: Rebel Wilson Visits Plastic Surgeon, Shares 2 Procedures She’s Trying After Weight Loss<\/a><\/em><\/p>

The purpose of the body-positivity movement (predated by the fat-acceptance movement) is to normalize bodies that challenge the status quo of thin, white, cisgender, and able-bodied. The concept has since evolved—it’s now conjoined with self-acceptance, confidence, and self-love, allowing body positivity to relate to not just a person’s physique but their other bodily “flaws,” like the aforementioned scars and stretch marks.<\/p>

They’re both controversial.<\/p>

While the increase in plastic surgery has helped to lessen the attached stigma, the practice is still not completely accepted. Recently, Cardi B was criticized by fans<\/a> for opting for plastic surgery after the birth of her daughter. “[People tell me], ‘You lazy, you should just work out.’ I do whatever the f**k I want to do with my body,” she said in an Instagram Story. The body-positivity movement also gets criticism<\/a> for being co-opted by brands<\/a> or putting unnecessary pressure<\/a> on the same people it was supposed to lift up.<\/p>

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